Battling the worst pain of his life, Big Island man asks for help

A Big Island Man is asking for help to get relief from what he calls the worst pain of his life. Kana Mook suffers from CRPS and will need to travel to Arkansas for treatment

Burning, swelling, painful to the touch: a Big Island Man is asking for help to get relief from what he calls the worst pain of his life.

It started as a knee injury. Now, 27-year old Kana Mook’s left leg, right foot and other parts of his body feel like they’re on fire.

“I feel a lot of burning, aching,” he said. “Pins and needles in my leg.”

The Big Island resident said he got hurt while at work in January so he had a specialist take a look. When things didn’t get better, he flew over to Queens Medical Center in Honolulu to undergo surgery. But that may have made things worse.

“My leg or my body parts where its affected, I am real sensitive to touch,” he told KITV4 from his hospital bed at Queens. “Just a feather hurts me. So my leg can’t go straight right now, so I need to be on a bed or on a gurney.”

Mook has Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, or CRPS. It’s a rare chronic pain condition with fewer than 200,000 cases diagnosed each year in the U.S. The pain that patients feel can be so bad, the disease has gained the nickname “the suicide disease” because patients consider ending their lives. Mook’s family says he has had that conversation because the pain is so unbearable.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, CRPS is triggered by an injury or surgical procedure. There’s no official test to confirm it but a diagnosis can be made based on a person’s medical history plus signs and symptoms. Research shows it can happen to anyone at any age but its more common with women.

Mook’s condition has stumped Queens’ doctors.

“This is the most rare case that they’ve ever seen in the state of Hawaii at least,” Mood said, adding doctors and nurses are doing what they can to maintain his pain.

Mook told KITV4 there’s a slightly brighter side: CRPS is treatable, but he’ll have to go far away from his wife and kids to get it.

“Just being here in this hospital, you know, literally just affects everyone. My family, my friends, and this has been rough,” he said.

He’s planning a trip to the Neurologic Relief Center in Arkansas for treatment. Once there, he’ll spend approximately 8-12 weeks in therapy and, hopefully, return to Hawaii pain free.

However, because of his pain, Mook cannot sit in a wheelchair or sit comfortably on a flight. He’ll need to travel on a bed or gurney.

Once he arrives in Arkansas, he’ll undergo an expensive, but non-invasive treatment.

You can find out how to help HERE: https://www.gofundme.com/kokua-kana-from-crps